First Days of an Epidemic
by gwenstacey
Summary: As a strange epidemic grips the city, Iruka chronicles how he and his students attempt to stay alive and safe within the walls of Konoha's academy.  Pre-series, timeline diverges from actual story events. Now with 2nd chapter and more Kakashi
1. First days of an epidemic

AN: At the beginning of this Shino and Hinata are 8, the rest of the rookie nine are 7 and Iruka is about 17. For the sake of this we're going to pretend that he has always been their sensei. This takes place prior to the Uchiha massacre. All characters within are canon. Please note: Kakashi makes a very late appearance in this fic.

~begin story~

Friday, March 15th: We began our lesson on basic chakra today. Sakura seemed to take to it right away. I think some of her classmates may be becoming jealous of how bright she is, Ami especially. Sasuke and Ino also seemed to pick it up quickly. My problem students were the same as always. Naruto and Kiba both tried to sneak out on separate occasions, Shikamaru slept through most of the lesson in spite of my tossing chalk at his head, and Chouji was more interested in his chips than anything I had to teach. So help me, I think this class may be the death of me.

Saturday, March 16th: I spent most of today grading essays, but I did manage to make it to the market for some groceries. Rumors were flying, as always, but today they seemed to center more around the Uchihas than usual. It looks like something is happening in that camp, and the rest of the village is beginning to trust them less and less. I can only hope that, whatever happens, Sasuke and the rest of my students will be ok.

Sunday, March 17th: Sunday is, without a doubt, my favorite day of the week. No class, no papers to grade, lessons are planned and all I have to do is relax. Peaceful as today has been though, I've noticed that more jounin than usual seem to be around the village. Not only that, but I could swear I sense an unusually large number of ANBU lurking in the shadows. Hopefully it's just my imagination playing tricks on me.

Monday, March 18th: We were about to head out to kunai practice when the alarm sounded, '_Attack Imminent-Origen Unknown-Seek Immediate Shelter,_' every teachers worst nightmare. Most of the teachers took their students to the shelters in the Hokage monument, but myself and a few others decided to hunker down here in the academy cafeteria rather than risk getting caught in the attack. We waited all day, but no explosion or sounds of battle reached us. The children are beginning to get anxious and were quite unhappy when we told them that they would have to spend the night here. I can't help but wonder, could the warning have been wrong?

Tuesday March 19th: Someone tried to get in last night, we could hear them rattling at the doors but they couldn't get through. Whomever it was I doubt they were friendly. They never announced themselves, and we certainly did nothing to make our presence known. The children who were awoken by the would be intruders are still feeling a bit shaken, and their unease has spread to their peers. The other teachers and I are doing everything we can to calm their fears, even as our own escalate. Why haven't we received word of what's going on yet? Why is what appears to be an invasion taking place so quietly? Were we right in our decision to stay here? Whatever the answers, it seems we have no choice but to stay here now.

Wednesday, March 20th: We decided today to do a thorough check of how much food and water we have. It looks like we'll be able to hold out here for two months on what's kept in the school's store rooms. We've stopped drinking water from the tap, just incase it's poisoned. The rattling at the door is becoming a frequent occurrence now, happening every few hours or so. It's just often enough that the students never truly get rowdy. I don't know whether to be grateful for that or not. Sakura asked me tonight, as I tucked her in to one of the blankets we had found stockpiled in the nurses room, when she would be able to go home and see if her mother was alright. It nearly broke my heart to tell her 'I don't know.'

Thursday, March 21st: There was groaning today in addition to the usual door rattling. It sounded like dozens of injured shinobi were lying out on the academy's lawn. The other sensei's and I discussed it and Suzume decided that she would go out and check if there was really anyone out there that needed help. Several of the girls cried when she left the gym, sad and frightened to see their kunoichi instructor leave. I went with her to one of the fire escapes that led up to the roof. We had decided that using this would help keep the children safe from whatever is out there, and we were hoping that having her take that way would attract less attention just in case it was a trap. She winked at me just before I pulled the hatch closed and locked it. She hasn't come back yet.

Saturday, March 23rd: Suzume still hasn't come back and I'm beginning to doubt that she will. My friends Izumo and Kotetsu came banging on or doors today and I was so happy to see a friendly face, to hear something besides groaning from beyond the doors, that I almost forgot to tell them to go to the roof to get let in. But as happy as I am to see them, the news they brought is anything but good. What's happening to the village isn't an attack at all. They say it looks like some kind of infection, but on a level they've never seen before. They whispered horrid tales to me and the other teachers, stories of shinobi and civilian alike going mad with the disease, attacking and cannibalizing anyone they can find. One of the other teachers accused them of spreading enemy propaganda in an attempt to scare us. I have to admit that if I didn't know the two so well I would be tempted to believe it myself. But Izumo and Kotetsu are as loyal to Konoha as I am. I would trust them with my life, and this just scares me more. The other teachers may be able to doubt their words, but I don't. I know they're telling the truth. I asked them about the students and teachers who left but the news was bleak. It looks like they may have never made it to the shelters. Ko overheard a pair of ANBU talking about the shelters being overrun with those who are infected. I feel completely helpless. How am I supposed to relate this to my students? How can I possibly prepare them for what waits for us when we finally get out of here? How many of their parents have already been lost to this disease? I can't help but feel sick about this. The children can sense the shift in their teachers mood. They're starting to have nightmares, and I'm dreading going to sleep myself tonight. How are we ever going to make it through this?

Sunday, March 24th: I woke up this morning horrified with myself for not asking Izumo or Kotetsu how this thing spreads. They could have had it and I let them walk right in with my kids without even asking how it spreads! I sat down and talked it out with them first thing. They say that it spreads through bite wounds and even let me check them over to be sure they didn't have any. They also say the infection takes hold quickly, within a couple of hours, so I feel much more confident about having the two of them here now. But how could I have been so stupid! The rattling at the doors turned into banging sometime this morning and is now almost constant. I think it's too much to hope anymore that our presence here has gone unnoticed. We've decided to bar the doors to the cafeteria and stay locked inside here at all times rather than slipping out occasionally to other parts of the school like we had been doing. The guys say that a persons skill and intelligence takes a major blow once the infection sets in, but I'd rather not test that, especially if some of our ANBU have been infected.

Tuesday, March 26th: I woke to the sound of screaming today. I was up and ready to defend the students before I realized that the sound was coming from outside. It was the first time since this madness started that we were actually able to hear that something was wrong. The groaning and banging on the doors has been disturbing, but if we hadn't heard the warning alarm we probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. This though, this was terrible. It wasn't the kind of screaming you hear on a battle field, it was so much worse. It was one loud, long, terrified shriek followed by someone begging for help between anguished sobs. Then the screaming started again only to suddenly stop. I literally had to hold Naruto down, one hand clamped over his mouth, to keep him from going and trying to help. It nearly made me sick. At least now the other teachers are putting more trust in Izumo and Kotetsu's story of infection. But the children have been quietly crying all day, and I can't help but wonder how long we can go on like this.

Wednesday, March 27th: The children are getting restless. Even as scared as they are they're having trouble staying still and quiet. We've been forced to come up with make shift games and activities so that they don't make enough noise to draw anymore attention. Shikamaru is turning out to be very good at the strategy games. I wish he was a few years older so he could help us figure a way out of this mess.

Thursday, March 28th: It was Sakura's birthday today. If only there was something we could have done to make it a happier occasion for her, but I know that's nothing more than wishful thinking. She spent most of the day crying. It's the first birthday she's ever spent away from her mother.

Friday, March 29th: They got in today. We heard the glass of one of the classroom windows break and then the pounding changed from being on the distant academy entrance to being right on the cafeteria door. We have the door barricaded and reinforced but we know it won't hold for more than a few days. It's clear we can't stay here now. There's another fire escape to the roof located in the kitchen and we're going to be taking that to get out. We're going to split into smaller groups in the hope that this will give us a better chance of going unnoticed. The other sensei's and I gathered up and divided the food we had left. The kids are going to have to help us carry it when we leave. With the number of instructors, plus Izumo and Kotetsu who have each volunteered to take a group, we will each be taking eleven children. We will be choosing groups in the morning and setting out tomorrow in the hopes that the children will be able to get some sleep tonight. I know the instructors won't. We will be staying up to make sure that door holds. I swear I can feel it in my body every time one of those things slams against it hard enough to make it shudder. I only pray we have enough time.

Saturday, March 30th: I've decided to leave this journal here in hopes that someone will find it. Its not like I'll have any time for writing after this anyway. My group is going to be the third to leave, the first is already gone and we didn't hear any screaming so it looks like they made it off of academy grounds. The students I have with me are as follows: Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Haruna Sakura, Aburame Shino, Ami, Uzumake Naruto, Kota, Hyuuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke, and Akamichi Chouji. We will be leaving the school and Konoha and traveling North. I don't know how far this thing had spread but I plan to keep moving until I find a safe place for my kids even if it means we have to learn how to live on the top of some god forsaken mountain. If anyone finds this, if there's anyone left to find this, if it's ever safe to walk Konoha's streets again, please, find us.

Epilogue:

The Hokage looked up from the small journal he had just finished reading to the shinobi who had presented it to him.

"And am I correct in assuming, Kakashi-san, that bringing me this is your way of asking permission to go after them?" he asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," came the reply, "Umino-san and his student are not on any of our lists of known dead or infected. If there is still hope we should not abandon them."

"Well then," Sarutobi smiled kindly and handed the journal back, "You had best get moving then. The last entry in this is dated almost a month ago."

Kakashi simply nodded and vanished in a twist of leaves and smoke. The Hokage sighed and pulled a stack of shinobi record files towards him. Finding Iruka's he changed the man's status from _'Status Unknown'_ to _'Rescue Attempt in Progress'_ and added a list of student names to the bottom of the first page. He then closed the folder and walked over to a window that looked down on his once proud city.

"Bring them back Kakashi," he whispered softly, tiredly, "Bring us back our future."

~End~

AN: I'm considering doing a sequel to this. Same style, but from Kakashi's point of view as he goes to find them. Anyone interested? Also, I had to proof read this myself as my usual beta was unavailable to, so if you see any mistakes I missed please let me know. Thanks!


	2. Searching through the epidemic

AN: This is going to be told from two different points of view going back and forth between two journals, so to make it easier to follow I'm going to use different fonts. Kakashi's journal entries will be in _italics_, and Iruka's will continue to be in a regular font. The prologue and epilogue are labeled as such and in regular font. I know I said this would just be Kakashi's journal, but I just couldn't get to a point where I was happy with it that way.

Kakashi would be about 21 in this and still in ANBU.

Prologue:

The Hokage sat at his desk going over, for the second time in as many months, a journal events recorded by his shinobi. The difference this time being that he had two corresponding accounts to compare. The second having been penned, quite unrepentantly, by the Anbu operative sent to find the young teacher and his students. Perhaps it was a testament to how dire the times had become, that even the most elite of his warriors felt the need to leave something of themselves behind, committed to paper in the event of their deaths. Or something worse, as that alternative was now an ugly reality that constantly lurked directly outside Konoha's towering walls.

Pushing dark and useless thoughts aside the Hokage turned back to the task at hand. Opening both journals in tandem he began to read back and forth between them.

_Monday, April 29__th_

_I've decided to use an old jutsu I learned to transfer my thoughts onto paper so that I can keep a record of my search for the academy sensei and his students. Not something I would normally do but the fact that Umino's journal is the only thing that prompted the search for him makes me think that the idea has merit. I'm packing at top speed now so that I can set out to find him. Everything feels as though it has been moving at top speed for some time now. The most important thing to pack is water. The rivers have become unsafe to drink from now since you can never be sure of what's rotting up stream._

_Tuesday, April 30__th_

_I left the city so early this morning it was still practically last night. I went over the wall since the gates always stay closed now. We managed to get the last of those things out of Konoha about a week ago but they still swarm the walls, always looking for a way back in. The medics, those who survived the initial rush on the hospital, keep trying to convince us that those things are just very sick people, but it's hard to look at it that way. I had to help capture and restrain the ones who had turned but still retained a better portion of their abilities. Some of them were people I had known, worked with, gone out for drinks with. I didn't see any of who they were left in their eyes as we strapped them down. They keep talking about finding a cure and have even dispatched a team to locate Tsunade in the hopes that she could help. I can't say that my hopes are high. Right now, I'm just going to focus on finding the people I have some chance of saving._

Mon. April 1st,

I hadn't planned to continue writing once we left the school but I've realized that the process gives me the sense of normalcy I need to be able to cope with the chaos that the world has become around me. I was incredibly grateful when I found this composition notebook in the pack I was carrying.

The trip out of the city was a nightmare. I'm still amazed that we made it out in one piece. No mission I've ever gone on has rattled my nerves so much. Of course, no mission has ever involved keeping eleven young children safe from hoards of potential enemies all on my own. What are we going to do now that we're in the open and completely exposed? How am I going to manage to rest and keep the children safe throughout the night? I haven't slept yet since we left and I know that I'll get sloppy soon if this keeps up. There are so many questions now that I didn't think of before. I suppose it doesn't matter though; there was no way we could have remained where we were.

_Wednesday, May 1__st_

_I have Pakkun and Bisuke with me and we're looking for any sign of Umino-sensei and his students while heading North ourselves. It would be easier if I could summon the whole pack and send them ahead but I won't risk it. Even though there is no sign that the infection can be transferred to animals they can still be attacked, and attacks by the infected are always brutal. I'm keeping these two in sight at all times._

_Even though the nin-ken have the sensei's scent I'm hoping that we don't find anything yet. The trail should be cold by now. If there's anything left of Umino or his students in the area it couldn't mean anything good._

Tues. April 2nd,

Finally able to get some rest. Shikamaru suggested we sleep in the trees since the infected don't seem able to climb them. It means taking extra time to secure make-shift "nests" so that none of the children will fall, but the trade off is worth it. So far, our presence seems to go unnoticed overnight as nothing was waiting for us at the base of the trees in the morning. I can only hope that continues.

_Friday, May 3__rd_

_We found our first sign of the sensei today. There was a backpack at the base of a tree that had been so ripped and shredded it was barely recognizable. The scent of one of the students still clung to its tattered remains. There was the body of a man that looks to have been infected lying nearby. It looks as if the 'man' must have tried to attack one of the students and ended up grabbing the pack instead before being taken out by Umino. _

_I have conflicted feelings about this discovery. It shows that Umino is serious about protecting his students; however, it makes me wonder. What happens if one of the student becomes infected? How will Umino handle it? Would he do the smart thing and leave the child behind or would he try to bring them along, to the detriment of the rest of the party? And what happens to the students if Umino himself becomes infected while trying to defend them? There are simply to many variables at play here. The only thing I can be sure of is that I need to find this man and his students as quickly as possible._

Fri. April 5th,

Up until this point we had been doing a good job of avoiding infected individuals, skirting around the areas where we could hear their groans. I thought we would be able to keep it up since there are so few here in the woods compared to how it was in Konoha. I was wrong. Hinata was attacked today. One of those things popped up behind her and latched onto her pack. Thank goodness it didn't actually grab her because the first thing it did was to sink its teeth into the material it held. Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke were closest and all grabbed onto her and got her away before the thing could realize it didn't truly have hold of her. In retrospect, I'm amazed at how fast they acted. I was also amazed at the strength the infected man showed, ripping the pack to pieces in a matter of seconds. It makes me sick to think that could have been sweet, little Hinata in his grasp. I sent a kunai into his skull and allowed the children to stare in shock for a minute. We had all passed him. He had looked just like another body collapsed at the bottom of a tree. It made no sound, no movement.

I apologized to Hinata and told everyone that I would be more careful from now on. I could tell by the looks on their faces that I wasn't the only one. We had to move out then, and quickly because we could hear more of those things drawing near. The commotion must have attracted their attention and drawn them in. I think we've lost them all now. At least the children don't seen to blame me for what happened today. They all still trust me and look to me for guidance. I hope their trust hasn't been misplaced.

_Saturday, May 4__th_

_There's a town about a days travel ahead. Under different circumstances, nothing could persuade me to enter it. But I can't rule out the possibility that Umino and his students may have tried to find shelter there. I would hope that he wouldn't have done something so foolish but the panic that this infection has brought with it has caused wiser men to do stupider things. I don't look forward to what tomorrow holds. Any once populated area is bound to be crawling with the infected by now. If Umino and his children have managed to hole-up there I don't know how I'm going to manage to get them out._

Sun. April 7th,

There's a town nearby here. I've stopped there several times on my way home from missions that have finished ahead of schedule. The prospect up bulking up our provisions is tempting but with so many infected in the woods the town has likely seen infection also. Do I want to take the risk?

_Monday, May 6__th_

_There was no sign of the sensei or his students in the little town and thank God for that. I'm sure if they had been there I would have found nothing but their bodies when I arrived. I was barely able to escape the damned place myself. I had to dismiss the nin-ken and chidori my way through an ally wall to get away and that still almost wasn't enough when one of them surprised me when it revealed that it still possessed shinobi speed. It had been mixed in with the others before I started getting away and that makes me wonder. Had it just been one of them and only got faster when it believed its meal to be escaping, or was it hiding amongst them planning an attack? Those of the infected left with the ability to strategize are few and far between, but they are by far the most dangerous._

Mon. April 8th,

I decided the risk of entering the town was too great. All I really had to do was think back to how lucky we were to escape Konoha in one piece and my decision was made for me. We will continue North towards the mountains, it's our best chance of finding a safe haven.

_Tuesday, May 7__th_

_My water supply is getting low but I'm only about 2days away from the northern mountain range so I should be okay. Unsafe as the rivers may be, the snow is clean. Still no further signs of the sensei. I wonder if that means he has made it to his mountain._

_Wednesday, May 8__th_

_I made a horrible discovery today and got the answer to a question I now wish I had never asked. It turns out that Umino is smart enough to know he shouldn't bring an infected student with him. I found a small infected girl trapped up a tree today. It looks like Umino must have placed her there to try and keep her safe before she turned. An empty bag of chips caught in one of the trees forks and the remains of a bandage over an obvious bite wound on her arm confirm this. _

_She was stalking her branch looking like she had lost the ability to climb back down. The carnage on the ground around her was enough to paint a clear picture of what must have happened. A total of six bodies lay dead and rotting on the forest floor. It looks like they had been hunting in a pack of sorts. It's the first time I've seen this behavior in infected individuals outside of a town or village. Given the circumstances, I'm amazed that only one of the students ended up infected. Umino-sensei must have more skill than I had given him credit for. Never-the-less, I need to find him as quickly as possible. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't anxious to get away from the snarling little girl who looks like she might be considering pouncing on me from her tree._

Tues. April 9th,

We were attacked today. Six of them rushed us at once. I heard a rustling in the underbrush to the side of our path and went to investigate thinking that it might be something I could catch for dinner. It turned out to be an infected female. I was so surprised, and she was so fast, that only my shinobi speed saved me from being bitten. Not a second after I killed her I heard a horrid scream behind me. Four more were quickly closing in on the students and one had already reached one of the girls, it's teeth sunken into her arm. I let my kunai fly, with more speed and skill than I realized I had, and killed them all. But it was already to late. They had been hunting us, lay a trap that I never saw coming because I was fool enough to think it was beyond their capabilities. I've paid a high price for my ignorance. One of my students has been bitten. It destroys me to even write about it. In the end I had to make a choice; bringing her with us would put everyone in danger, but leaving Ami behind also seemed like an unthinkable alternative. I know my decision will haunt me to the day I die.

_Thursday, May 9__th_

_I reached the mountains today. As much as I would like to keep pressing on, I can tell that the dark could hurrying towards my position can only bring a serious storm with them. There's a cave about halfway up on this mountain. I'll take shelter there for the night. I think it might be best if I continued my journey through these mountains by heading from one known cave system to the next. Not only is it the safest strategy for navigating this terrain, it also gives me the best chance of finding Umino-sensei._

Fri. April 12th,

We're finally at the mountains. I know of several caves around here; but, rather than trekking up the first mountain we come to, I'm going to move a bit further into the range. We'll travel partially up the sides of the mountains we pass instead of walking through the valleys. It's my belief that this will help keep us safe from both the infected and from the freak storms that roll through this area occasionally.

_Friday, May 10__th_

_The storm last night was vicious and it hasn't let up yet. I'm huddled in this little cave and have summoned the entire pack to keep me warm. I hope this stops soon. Even though I'm getting tired of listening to the howling of the wind I have to admit that it's better than the near constant groaning of the infected that I've spent so much time listening to lately._

_Monday, May 13__th_

_Blasted storm finally let up this morning. Next cave system is three mountains over from here. It means I will have to spend tonight outdoors, but it smells like the weather should stay good long enough for me to reach it safely._

Tues. April 16th,

Finally we're drawing close to the caves that I think will prove a safe spot for us. I've been taking my time to put down traps along the path just in case. At the rate we're moving we should reach the cave before nightfall.

I've come across a wide array of footprints on my way, however. If any infected have made it this far up the path then I know there truly isn't a safe place left anymore. But I will fight until the last of my strength gives out to keep these children alive and well.

_Wednesday, May 15__th_

_The pack scented the sensei and his students a little before noon today and I have come across several clever and well hidden traps in the past hour. I'm close enough that I can smell them now myself, along with about 20 other people. As wary about the unknown scents as I am I can't help but feel excited that it looks like I've finally found them. I just hope they're all alive and I'm not to late._

Epilogue:

When he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, Iruka was quick to pull out a kunai and spin to face the threat. He was startled to see that there was now a dog sitting at the entrance of the cave. When he realized the hound had a leaf headband tied around its neck he nearly wept in relief.

The animal raised its head and let out a howl that caught the attention of everyone else in the cave. The girls all squealed as 7 more dogs came into view. They were joined shortly by a tall, lanky frame that Iruka recognized as belonging to the copy-nin.

"Yo." the man said as he ducked inside and offered a two-fingered wave. Iruka could only stare in wonderment for a moment, even as he heard Izumo and Kotetsu collapsing on top of each other in relieved laughter behind him.

"Hatake-san," Iruka bowed in greeting, "Does this mean that it's safe to return home?"

Kakashi looked around at all of the hopeful faces shining up at him.

"The way back is still dangerous," he replied, "But Konoha itself is now clean and secure if you're willing to take the risk to go back."

He marveled as he watched all those little faces fill with determination.

"Konoha is home, Kakashi-san," Iruka said, voicing everyone's thoughts, "and if it's safe within the walls again then that is where we belong."

Behind him everyone nodded in agreement.

"How on Earth did you find us?"

Kakashi gestured to the nin-ken who were now enjoying being petted and adored by a group of children before pulling a leather bound journal out of his hip pouch and handing it to the stunned man in front of him.

"You gave us the heading," he answered, "and then we just followed our noses."

Iruka smiled brilliantly at him and nodded, managing to reflect his students determination even with the beaming smile on his features. He made his desire clear with a simple statement,

"Lets go home."

End

AN: May do one last part of this story and make a journal for Tsunade as she attempts to find a cure for the infection. Still debating.


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